A powerful explosion has occurred at a weapons plant in Russia’s Udmurt Republic, which is reportedly involved in the production of nuclear weapons components and ballistic missiles. The blast took place at the Votkinsk weapons factory, located approximately 30 miles from the capital city of the Udmurt Republic, Izhevsk. Videos of the explosion were shared by residents on the social media platform Telegram. The factory is known for manufacturing various ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and strategic ballistic missiles.
Russian state-run news agency Tass confirmed the incident and attributed it to a scheduled test of rocket engines. However, the Ministry of Emergency Situations’ website made no mention of any test. The Ministry later denied reports of a significant explosion at the plant.
The Votkinsk plant has played a crucial role in producing nuclear weapons components, having signed 19 government contracts for this purpose. In 2011, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the plant and commended it as a leading enterprise in the country’s defense industry.
It is worth noting that attacks on Russian soil have increased during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which is nearing its second year. Ukraine typically does not take responsibility for incidents occurring on Russian territory.
In the past year, there has been a significant rise in industrial fires in Russia. According to Molfar, an open-source intelligence agency, the country experienced 939 fires in 2023, marking a 125.7% increase compared to the previous year. Moscow had the highest number of fires, followed by Leningrad, Sverdlovsk, Rostov, and Nizhny Novgorod.
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